Serbia Threatens to Leave Council of Europe if Kosovo Joins
Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic has warned that Serbia could withdraw from the Council of Europe if Kosovo is admitted to the organization, as reported by media outlets in Belgrade
HOT: » Assessing the Legacy of Bulgaria's "Denkov" Cabinet: Achievements, Failures, and What Comes Next
Kosovo is holding early elections on Sunday.
The snap elections were called in May after Serb lawmakers blocked a vote on establishing a national army. The vote was originally scheduled for November.
Prime Minister Hashim Thaci's Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) is hoping to win the elections, its main rival being the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) of Isa Mustafa, according to reports of the BBC News.
A victory of PDK will give Thaci a third term in office.
A total of 1,782,454 eligible voters will be able to cast ballots to elect 120 Members of Parliament for 3-year terms in office.
The threshold to enter parliament is 5% for political parties and 7% for coalitions, according to inserbia.info.
Kosovo's Parliament has 20 seats reserved for minority communities, including 10 for Kosovo Serbs and 10 for the Roma, Ashkali, Egyptian, Bosniak, Turkish and Gorani communities.
The early elections are taking place amid a difficult economic situation, including an official unemployment rate of around 35% and youth unemployment of 55%. Nearly 50% of Kosovo's 1.8 million people are considered to be poor and 12% live in extreme poverty.
Although Serbian authorities still reject Kosovo's independence, they have encouraged the ethnic Serb community to take part in the elections in a bid to strengthen the 2013 EU-brokered deal aiming to normalize relations between the two countries.
Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has said it would "unwise" for the Serbs to abstain from the vote.
We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!
Ukrainian military intelligence has accused Russian intelligence services of having prior knowledge about the terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall concert hall near Moscow
Israeli military operations against Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants in Gaza City's Shifa Hospital and Khan Yunis continued, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
The Czech Republic has revealed the dismantling of a vast network of Russian influence spanning across Europe, with Bulgaria among its targeted countries
Amidst reports linking the messaging app Telegram to the recruitment of gunmen involved in a recent attack near Moscow, the Kremlin has issued a warning to the app's owner, Pavel Durov
Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that Russia has no intention of attacking NATO countries such as Poland, the Baltic states, or the Czech Republic
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has requested a meeting with the White House to discuss an upcoming ground operation in Rafah, situated in the southern part of the Gaza Strip
UN Happiness Report: Bulgaria's Astonishing Leap in Rankings
Bulgaria: 3 Regions With Lowest Life Expectancy - EU Report 2022